Alfredos’ Alfredo Sauce

Alfredos’ Alfredo Sauce: When ever we see jars of Alfredo sauce on the shelves of supermarkets, we simply sigh and take every opportunity we can to let you know how Alfredo expected it to be enjoyed when he developed this now infamous sauce, in 1908.

The place, Rome. The circumstances, a pregnant wife who had lost her appetite and one very concerned husband named, Alfredo di Lelio.

Alfredo Di Lelio created the recipe in 1908 because his wife, pregnant with their first child, was not eating well and losing weight.

Alfredo wanted to feed her something simple, healthy, tasty and very nutritious at the same time. So he concocted a luscious but simple combination of pasta, cheese and butter. The dish quickly became a staple in his restaurant, which he had purchased the year before.In 1927, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, stars of the silent movies, visited the eatery during their honeymoon in Rome. They absolutely loved the dish, to the point that, once back in the United States, they started a very fond PR campaign among their friends in Hollywood. More than that, they engraved a giant golden fork and spoon with their names, and gave them to Alfredo.

The gift didn’t go unnoticed by the American press. Soon, articles trumpeting this wonderful dish were all over the American news. Hollywood stars would fly into Rome to taste the famous fettuccine with Alfredo sauce, and crowds would gather outside the restaurant whenever there was word that another celebrity had come to Alfredo’s.But the fame of the Alfredo sauce was in fact restricted to the U.S. Alfredo’s was just one of the many dolce vita hot spots of the capital, and the recipe never became a staple in the Italian culinary scene the way it has in the States. Even now, only a few locals know about the dish. For Italians this is just… Butter and cheese pasta…